Many bodies still in collapsed Bangladesh building

Firefighters and army personnel continue to work as dusk falls as they dislodge the debris and fallen ceiling of the garment factory building which collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, April 29, 2013. At least 381 people were killed when the illegally constructed, 8-story Rana Plaza collapsed in a heap on Wednesday morning along with thousands of workers in the five garment factories in the building. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
— AP

Firefighters and army personnel continue to work as dusk falls as they dislodge the debris and fallen ceiling of the garment factory building which collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, April 29, 2013. At least 381 people were killed when the illegally constructed, 8-story Rana Plaza collapsed in a heap on Wednesday morning along with thousands of workers in the five garment factories in the building. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
/ AP

Curious onlookers and relatives of missing victims watch from behind a make shift fence as workers start dislodging parts of the garment factory building which collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh on Monday April 29, 2013. Rescue workers in Bangladesh gave up hopes of finding any more survivors in the remains of a building that collapsed five days ago, and began using heavy machinery on Monday to dislodge the rubble and look for bodies - mostly of workers in garment factories there. At lea— AP

Curious onlookers and relatives of missing victims watch from behind a make shift fence as workers start dislodging parts of the garment factory building which collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh on Monday April 29, 2013. Rescue workers in Bangladesh gave up hopes of finding any more survivors in the remains of a building that collapsed five days ago, and began using heavy machinery on Monday to dislodge the rubble and look for bodies - mostly of workers in garment factories there. At lea
/ AP

Health volunteers wait next to body bags lined up as they prepare to extract more dead bodies while workers start dislodging parts of the garment factory building which collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh on Monday April 29, 2013. Rescue workers in Bangladesh gave up hopes of finding any more survivors in the remains of a building that collapsed five days ago, and began using heavy machinery on Monday to dislodge the rubble and look for bodies - mostly of workers in garment factories ther— AP

Health volunteers wait next to body bags lined up as they prepare to extract more dead bodies while workers start dislodging parts of the garment factory building which collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh on Monday April 29, 2013. Rescue workers in Bangladesh gave up hopes of finding any more survivors in the remains of a building that collapsed five days ago, and began using heavy machinery on Monday to dislodge the rubble and look for bodies - mostly of workers in garment factories ther
/ AP

Workers watch as a crane lowers the ceiling of the garment factory building which collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh on Monday April 29, 2013. Rescue workers in Bangladesh gave up hopes of finding any more survivors in the remains of a building that collapsed five days ago, and began using heavy machinery on Monday to dislodge the rubble and look for bodies - mostly of workers in garment factories there. At least 381 people were killed when the illegally constructed, 8-story Rana Plaza c— AP

Workers watch as a crane lowers the ceiling of the garment factory building which collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh on Monday April 29, 2013. Rescue workers in Bangladesh gave up hopes of finding any more survivors in the remains of a building that collapsed five days ago, and began using heavy machinery on Monday to dislodge the rubble and look for bodies - mostly of workers in garment factories there. At least 381 people were killed when the illegally constructed, 8-story Rana Plaza c
/ AP

Rescue and recovery personnel prepare to dislodge the ceiling of the garment factory building which collapsed on Wednesday, in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday April 29, 2013. Rescue workers in Bangladesh gave up hopes of finding any more survivors in the remains of a building that collapsed five days ago, and began using heavy machinery on Monday to dislodge the rubble and look for bodies - mostly of workers in garment factories there. At least 381 people were killed when the illegally con— AP

Rescue and recovery personnel prepare to dislodge the ceiling of the garment factory building which collapsed on Wednesday, in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday April 29, 2013. Rescue workers in Bangladesh gave up hopes of finding any more survivors in the remains of a building that collapsed five days ago, and began using heavy machinery on Monday to dislodge the rubble and look for bodies - mostly of workers in garment factories there. At least 381 people were killed when the illegally con
/ AP

A school turned make-shift morgue has its walls plastered with portraits of missing persons, mostly workers at the garment factory building which collapsed, on Monday April 29, 2013 in in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh. Rescue workers in Bangladesh gave up hopes of finding any more survivors in the remains of the building that collapsed five days ago, and began using heavy machinery on Monday to dislodge the rubble and look for bodies - mostly of workers in garment factories there. At least 381 p— AP

A school turned make-shift morgue has its walls plastered with portraits of missing persons, mostly workers at the garment factory building which collapsed, on Monday April 29, 2013 in in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh. Rescue workers in Bangladesh gave up hopes of finding any more survivors in the remains of the building that collapsed five days ago, and began using heavy machinery on Monday to dislodge the rubble and look for bodies - mostly of workers in garment factories there. At least 381 p
/ AP

A boy runs past a school turned make-shift morgue with portraits of missing persons, mostly workers at the garment factory building which collapsed, plastered over its walls on Monday April 29, 2013 in in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh. Rescue workers in Bangladesh gave up hopes of finding any more survivors in the remains of the building that collapsed five days ago, and began using heavy machinery on Monday to dislodge the rubble and look for bodies - mostly of workers in garment factories ther— AP

A boy runs past a school turned make-shift morgue with portraits of missing persons, mostly workers at the garment factory building which collapsed, plastered over its walls on Monday April 29, 2013 in in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh. Rescue workers in Bangladesh gave up hopes of finding any more survivors in the remains of the building that collapsed five days ago, and began using heavy machinery on Monday to dislodge the rubble and look for bodies - mostly of workers in garment factories ther
/ AP

Workers and fire fighters are shrouded in smoke as they prepare to dislodge the debris and fallen ceiling of the garment factory building which collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh on Monday, April 29, 2013. Rescue workers in Bangladesh gave up hopes of finding any more survivors in the remains of a building that collapsed five days ago, and began using heavy machinery on Monday to dislodge the rubble and look for bodies - mostly of workers in garment factories there. At least 381 people w— AP

Workers and fire fighters are shrouded in smoke as they prepare to dislodge the debris and fallen ceiling of the garment factory building which collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh on Monday, April 29, 2013. Rescue workers in Bangladesh gave up hopes of finding any more survivors in the remains of a building that collapsed five days ago, and began using heavy machinery on Monday to dislodge the rubble and look for bodies - mostly of workers in garment factories there. At least 381 people w
/ AP

Curious onlookers and relatives of missing victims watch from behind a make shift fence as workers start dislodging parts of the garment factory building which collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh on Monday April 29, 2013. Rescue workers in Bangladesh gave up hopes of finding any more survivors in the remains of a building that collapsed five days ago, and began using heavy machinery on Monday to dislodge the rubble and look for bodies - mostly of workers in garment factories there. At lea— AP

Curious onlookers and relatives of missing victims watch from behind a make shift fence as workers start dislodging parts of the garment factory building which collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh on Monday April 29, 2013. Rescue workers in Bangladesh gave up hopes of finding any more survivors in the remains of a building that collapsed five days ago, and began using heavy machinery on Monday to dislodge the rubble and look for bodies - mostly of workers in garment factories there. At lea
/ AP

Mohammed Sohel Rana, center, the owner of a building that collapsed last week, killing at least 382 people, is brought to be produced at a court in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, April 29, 2013. A Bangladesh court on Monday gave police 15 days to interrogate Rana, as rescuers used heavy machinery to cut through the destroyed structure after giving up hopes of finding any more survivors. (AP Photo)— AP

Mohammed Sohel Rana, center, the owner of a building that collapsed last week, killing at least 382 people, is brought to be produced at a court in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, April 29, 2013. A Bangladesh court on Monday gave police 15 days to interrogate Rana, as rescuers used heavy machinery to cut through the destroyed structure after giving up hopes of finding any more survivors. (AP Photo)
/ AP

SAVAR, Bangladesh 
Emergency workers hauling large concrete slabs from a collapsed 8-story building said Tuesday they expect to find many dead bodies when they reach the ground floor, indicating the death toll will be far more than the official 386. One estimate said it could be as high as 1,400.

Hundreds of people waited patiently at the site of the collapsed building for news of missing relatives, holding their pictures and identity cards as they watched cranes lifting sections of ceilings and floors from the rubble. Emergency workers in hard hats used drilling and cutting machines to break up the slabs into manageable pieces.

Ratna Akhtar , looking for her husband at a nearby school ground, wailed: "Give me my husband back. At least I want to see his dead body if not alive."

The illegally constructed, 8-story Rana Plaza collapsed on the morning of April 24, bringing down the five garment factories inside. Together, they employed 3,122 workers, but it is not clear how many were on duty at the time of the tragedy. It was the deadliest disaster to hit Bangladesh's garment industry that is worth $20 billion annually and supplies global retailers.

Roughly 2,900 people have been accounted for -- about 2,500 survivors and the 386 dead. It is not clear how many people worked in other offices in the building which also housed a bank and many shops.

Most of the bodies have been handed to families except 49 that have been kept at the morgue of state-run Dhaka Medical College Hospital for identification. Mahmud Ali of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society said many more bodies are believed trapped under the rubble of the building, judging by stench of decomposing flesh still emanating.

Zillur Rahman Chowdhury, a Dhaka district administrator, put the number of missing at 100, based on the information received from the families of the missing.

But volunteers from the Social Welfare Club based at the Jahangirnagar University say the official tally is incomplete because people have little faith in the government and don't bother reporting their loss.

Ahsan Imu, a volunteer at the club, said that based on information gathered from families at the site at least 1,000 people may be missing. However, he cautioned that there may be some duplication in the list.

On Monday, a Bangladesh court give police 15 days to interrogate the owner of a building, Mohammed Sohel Rana. He was arrested a day earlier in a border town as he tried to flee to India. He is being questioned on charges of negligence, illegal construction and forcing workers to join work. His father, Abdul Khaleque, was also arrested on suspicion of aiding Rana to force people to work in a dangerous building.

The crimes he is accused of carry a maximum punishment of seven years. More charges could be added later.

Rana had permission to build a 5-story building but added three more floors illegally. Huge cracks appeared in the building on April 23 but Rana told tenants it was safe to go in. A bank and some first-floor shops closed after police ordered an evacuation. But managers of the garment factories on the upper floors told workers to continue their shifts.